The present invention relates to a new means for embedding microorganisms within a polymer matrix. It relates particularly to embedding microorganisms intended for the inoculation of leguminous plants in order to increase their nitrogen-fixing potential, and of non-leguminous plants in order to improve their nutrition with different elements.
The principal forms of plant inoculation used today are wet peat or peat granules. Such inoculums are applied to the soil or to the seeds with various coatings.
It is also known to employ particles of cellulose on which there are fixed bacteria and a culture medium, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,115,404, and granules of plaster (French Pat. No. 1,490,046), and of lignite.
It has also been proposed to employ a polymer gel, as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,155,737. One process for conducting enzymatic reactions employing microorganisms embedded in a polymer matrix is claimed in French Pat. No. 2,320,349, and it consists in continuously feeding a reactor containing the microorganisms, embedded in the polymer matrix, with a growth medium for said microorganisms containing the product to be treated. However, the process is applied, in fact, to a matrix of polymers of acrylic type.
However, a first difficulty resides in this latter proposal in the incorporating of the microorganism into the matrix of a polymer which is either biodegradable or non-polluting, without there being a decline in the activity of the microorganism. A second problem is that of the survival of the microorganism and its protection during transportation and storage. A third problem is the capability for the liberation of the embedded microorganism in order to permit its dispersion into the medium, and possible suitability for the grafting of additives. It is also necessary, of course, to assure penetration of the medium through the plant roots. Finally, sight must not be lost of the fact that the final product obtained must still be of sufficiently low cost.
None of the prior art solutions succeeds in simultaneously overcoming all of these problems.
It is, therefore an object of the present invention to provide new means of embedding microorganisms into a polymer matrix which overcomes the problems which have plagued the prior art.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide new means of embedding microorganisms into a problem matrix to be used for inoculating leguminous and non-leguminous plants.
It is a further object to provide the novel products produced by the novel process of the invention.
Other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the present description.